Italia Mio Amore

Ever since the day I saw the movie ” Under the Tuscan Sun” I have always dreamt of one day visiting this highly illustrious place. This summer that dream finally came true and then some. I spent a few weeks touring this breathtaking region with my husband Ryan as well as a few stops in Rome, Venice, and Florence. We had a wedding to attend in Florence and added on a lil’ tour as well.

I’m going to share some of my favorite memories from our trip and cool spots that you have to check out on your Italian vaycation. Italia mio amore! This beautiful country will leave you dreaming of all the amazing pizza and pasta you had on your vacation many weeks after you get home.

My husband and I decided to rent a car and tour through a few of the hilltop towns in the Tuscan hills. I highly recommend this way of traveling to visit this region. There’s something so romantic about the whole area that you just have to travel slowly to take in all the beauty. We visited the” Town of Fine Towers” San Gimignano. Known for it’s its medieval architecture and preservation of tower houses . Next was the so charming and my favorite hill top town Siena, where we were blown away by a full-on marching band playing through the town. I later learned that was a special event done every year to celebrate the world famous horse race the Palio di Siena. Our last road trip stop was in the Montepulciano region where I really felt like I was living in a scene from the “Under the Tuscan Sun”. We stayed at a charming estate farmhouse Lupaia , with an eye catching pool surrounded by 360 views of vineyards all around.

The infrastructure in Rome is just magnificent. It blows my mind thinking that they built such extravagant buildings thousands of years ago. My favorite stops were at the Vatican, Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. Oh the detail! Rome was definitely not built in day.

Firenze my love! Did you know that gelato was invented in Florence by Bernardo Buontalenti? I must say this region had the best ice cream i’ve ever had. One spot Venchi had a fountain wall made out of chocolate. The gelato was really worth all the hype and waiting in line. Italy is filled with many many duomos. Saint Peter’s Bascilica was definitely on the top of the list and also the The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. It just looked so unreal, all made out of marble. Florence is known for having some world famous art. I saw some of the most captivating pieces like “The Birth of Venus” and Michelangelo’s David had me all googly eyes. Hello David *heart eyes*!

Oh the food in Venice, I had the best pasta of my whole life here at a lil’ mom and pop style spot. You really don’t need to go to any fancy restaurants to eat well. A number of little restaurants had some the best pizza and pasta i’ve ever had.